Title: Amalfi Megami no Houshuu アマルフィ 女神の報酬 (Amalfi The Remuneration of the Goddess)Original novel by: Shinpo Yuichi
Roadshow start date: 18 July 2008
Theme song: Time to say goodbye by Sarah Brightman
Cast: Oda Yuji, Amami Yuki, Oomori Ayane, Toda Erika, Sato Koichi, Sano Shiro, Onodera Akira, Ootsuka Nene, Ito Atsushi, Hirata Mitsuru, Fukuyama Masaharu, Sarah Brightman, Antonio Rocco Papaleo and Nakai Kiichi (voice acting only)
After watching this movie on Sunday, I felt really disappointed. Well, from the start, I wasn't expecting too much and yet this film did even worse than I thought. Before you continue reading what I have to say, please be reminded that these are my personal views only. Everyone may interpret the film differently so please do not be offended if you find my views varying from yours. And for those who do not wish to know the ending of this film, it's also advisable to skip this review as there will be plentiful of spoilers.
First of all, let me do a brief introduction about the storyline. And this is the biggest problem in the whole film.
Kuroda Kousaku (Oda Yuji) is a diplomat who has just been dispatched to the Japanese embassy in Rome, Italy. He keeps in contact with his superior Kataoka (Nakai Kiichi) over the phone as the embassy gears up to prepare for the Foreign Minister, Kawagoe Wataru's (Hirata Mitsuru) visit during the G8 meeting. Trainee interpreter Adachi Kanae (Toda Erika) fumbles along in work with her half-baked Italian and tries to keep up with Kuroda who maintains a straight face and seems to be hiding his true intentions from the rest.
At the same time, single mum Yagami Saeko is in Rome with her daughter Madoka for a holiday before the latter goes for an eye operation. However, she is aghast to find her daughter abducted when they are in a museum. Yagami then enlists the help of the embassy where Kuroda and Adachi are sent to assist. However, they soon find out that the abduction is more than meets the eye. Meanwhile, danger is looming as Kawagoe reaches Rome...
Here are the reasons why I simply disliked the story:
1) Ambiguous direction - a suspense thriller or travelogue?
Is this film trying to be a suspense thriller? Or is it trying to be a travelogue introducing the sights of Rome and Amalfi? Frankly speaking, I do not know what the answer is.
If it's the former, I think they've failed terribly. Notwithstanding the fact that the culprit was simply too easy to guess, the developments of the story seemed to be suggesting that the scriptwriter was being too cautious. There is always this problem with Japanese thrillers. If you see a well-known actor or one of significant status playing a small role, there is something fishy unless it's stated clearly that he/she is just appearing in a cameo role. It was simply too unnatural for Sato Koichi to appear for a few scenes and his identity concealed at the start when Saeko was talking to Sato's character. It was as if they want the viewer to know bits and pieces of information at various junctures and yet there was a sudden U-turn which suggested that the scriptwriter changed his mind and thought that it was safer to keep the hints under wraps. And the tension didn't really build up. The climax scene was so predictable that it doesn't take a genius to figure out what would happen. And what's with this title? If you look closely, most of the action takes place in Rome. Scenes in Amalfi turn out to be much lesser and of a lower significance. Other than mentioning the legend behind Amalfi, the place seems to be unimportant to the story. I was still none the wiser about the meaning of the title at the end of the movie.
And if it's the latter we are talking about, it was a passable attempt but there were still flaws. The colour balance of the film deviated towards the darker extreme so the whole backdrop looked too gloomy and pale. It was only till the scenes in Amalfi which made the screen brighten up a bit because of the contrast from the sea. And that lousy editing deserves to be picked up for criticism. How can they have blank scenes for at least 3 times throughout the film instead of doing a smooth transition between scenes? Even a line "1 week later" or "1 month later" would have been better at improving the flow of the movie. For a moment, I thought there was something wrong with the theatre's projector but apparently, the number of blank screens shown is an indicator that the problem lies with the movie itself. Last but not least, that repetition of the scene in the hotel room where Yagami and Kuroda were in after her daughter went missing was totally redundant. They should have started the movie from the part when both parties arrived in Rome instead of wasting time on repeating that scene which wasn't that significant after all.
One last thing I would like to point out is that some things should be left unsaid. Italy helped in the filming of this movie but it's mentioned point blank that they are famous for pickpocketing. Well, I'm sure a lot of us would have known that in certain European cities, pickpocketing is a notorious crime that we should watch out for when we travel there. I just find it really awkward that the movie had to mention this directly instead of leaving subtle hints. By being so frank, it kills the beauty of the place at the same time. It also feels as if you are repaying the home country with scorn. Just when people were enthralled with the sights in Rome and Amalfi, you dump a spoiler to dampen their rising spirits. Although Kuroda had meant well by reminding Yagami of the prospect of meeting pickpockets, the line could have been modified slightly though.
2) The ego of a big name?
In case you are unaware, this movie project was intended right from the start to centre around Oda Yuji. As such, it is very evident that he was given the best treatment and elevated to a class above the rest in this movie. When that happened, everyone seemed to be just mere accessories especially for those who had very minor roles or are still not in the league of holding their own despite the harsh circumstances. Oda's roles in movies and dramas for the past few years have been largely of the same sort. Most of the time, there is a comedic touch to his roles. Even though Kuroda is stern and looks emotionless most of the time, I simply don't think it is a radical change from the past. There is too little development of the character to show me that Oda had changed his approach of potraying a character. It didn't leave a deep impression on me, so as to speak. And he's got to put in some effort to show that he is versatile in playing various types of roles or else he will be stereotyped. Surely he doesn't want to be remembered for just 2 significant roles in his entire career i.e. Kanchi (Tokyo Love Story) and Aoshima Shunsaku (Odoru Daisousasen)? It's high time he gets another breakthrough.
Amami Yuki's role made her seem like a damsel in distress who couldn't think properly at all when her background was supposed to be a strong single mother. Luckily, that punch she threw at Oda was a saving grace, showing Yagami Saeko has emotions other than panicking. Nonetheless, I thought it was a big waste of talent for Amami to play this role. Likewise for Toda Erika, she was stifled by this hierarchy style of script writing which made her role very forgettable. I remember that she mentioned in an interview that she's open to playing lead and supporting roles so that it helps to build up her portfolio. Even so, I think she can afford to be a bit more selective. Exposure is good but if your role is forgettable or you do not really get a chance to prove yourself, it's as good as not taking up the role. Luckily for Sato Koichi, no doubt his role may not be that big, he made full use of his limited screen time to make an impact. And I must say, his English was less jarring to the ears as compared to Oda. ^__^ By the way, since they were in Italy, I simply don't understand the need for English lines popping out of nowhere.
And why do they need Fukuyama Masaharu to play such a small role? I do not think it is cheap for them to fly him over for so little scenes. They could have saved the money and spent it on someone else. It may look good to put Oda and Fukuyama on screen together BUT I think they should have spent the money on improving the story rather than assembling big names for the sake of attracting attention. A case of misplaced priorities. Then again, they could have mentioned that Nakai Kiichi was playing the role of Kuroda's colleague/friend because I only came to know about it after looking at the credits. They got such a big name to appear in the movie and yet didn't bother to promote his appearance? This is simply bewildering.
3) Atrocious subtitling
I do not know about other countries but the subtitles we have in the Singapore cinemas are simply atrocious. For someone who doesn't even know Japanese, looking at the English and Chinese subtitles is enough to tell you that something is not quite right because there were many points when each language conveyed a different meaning. If you know Japanese, I guess you would be shaking your head at each time the subs make mistakes. It's simply embarrassing. I do not know where the subs were done but to screen such a low-quality subbed version is an insult to those who paid to watch the movie. Surely we deserve an accurate translation of the lines in the movie?
And my ratings for this movie...
Story: 2 out of 10 (Reasons as stated above - in short, it feels like a last-minute production)
Acting: 5 out of 10 (Nobody really stood out. If I really have to name somebody, that would be Sato Koichi)
Theme song: 6 out of 10 (This is a very well-known song but hearing it repeatedly just wears me out)
Visual effects / Scenery: 6 out of 10 (The scenery deserves the thumbs up but I think the cameraman's skills are questionable. Colour balance, editing and arrangement of scenes are all lacking)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 3 out of 10 (Everyone seems to be too detached from one another. No chemistry to speak of.)
Total: 22 out of 50
In conclusion: A big money-spender with little to show for
